BONDURANT CHAMPION NEIL ALBERICO TAKES NEXT STEP IN RACING CAREER

Tue, Jul 20, 2010 09:13 EST

Driver Gains Experience in World Speed Pro Formula Mazda

SONOMA, Calif. – Bondurant Race Series Champion Neil Alberico showcased considerable talent and progress recently as he participated in a test day and 2-race weekend with World Speed Motorsports at Infineon Raceway, June 25-27.

The 17-year-old California native and up-and-coming racer participated in the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear, driving a Pro Formula Mazda prepared by World Speed Motorsports, one of America’s most dynamic racing ventures. He received the opportunity as part of a prize package valued at $35,000 after being crowned champion of the Bondurant Championship Race Series.

The Bondurant Championship – sanctioned by ASA racing – completed its inaugural season in May.

“I went in to the weekend with the mindset to focus on learning. The car was a little intimidating at first but I was able to make lots of positive improvement throughout the weekend. It’s amazing how deep you can drive the car in to the corners,” said Alberico, who was driving a Pro Formula Mazda for the first time. “I was really happy with the qualifying run I made on Sunday, and just tried to enjoy and take advantage of the reward that was given for the Bondurant Championship. Overall it was a great weekend and I look forward to doing more driving with World Speed.”

After acclimating to the high levels of grip and power in the Pro car, Alberico continually improved throughout the weekend. He started tenth and finished fifth in Saturday’s race. On Sunday, he qualified on row 2 to start fourth, and ran competitively with the front of the field before a mechanical failure ultimately took him out of the race.

“It was a pleasure working with Neil this past weekend. He is a real professional and never put a wheel wrong,” said Telo Stewart, President, World Speed Motorsports. “I was very pleased that the World Speed Motorsports partnership with the Bondurant School made this opportunity possible for a young up-and-coming driver like Neil to make the next step in his career, and he was clearly ready.”

Alberico is a perpetual frontrunner in Championship Karting International’s WSK North American karting series in the TaG Sr. class. In addition to the Pro Formula Mazda race weekend, he will also receive a test day in a Daytona Prototype car, courtesy of Finlay Motorsports, as part of his prize package.

“It’s great to see Neil go from karting, to our series, and then advance further up the open-wheel ladder. After the success of the Bondurant Championship Race Series’ inaugural season, we’re proud to see Neil impress at an even higher level,” said Alan Rudolph, Series Director, Bondurant Championship Race Series. “The tremendous amount of experience Neil received while racing with us certainly paid off considering the ease with which he transitioned in to a Pro Formula Mazda. We look forward to his continued success and to providing great opportunities for other young drivers next season.”

About Bondurant

Bondurant Enterprises consists of
The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
– one of the largest driving schools in North America for over 42 years – featuring a 15-turn, 1.6 mile road course, an 8-acre asphalt pad for advanced training, and more than 200 race-prepared vehicles, sedans and open-wheel cars. Situated on Firebird Raceway's 450 acres of excitement located on the Gila River Indian Community in Phoenix, Ariz., the purpose-built facility has access to three additional race tracks, a watersports lake and three skid pads. Bob Bondurant, an internationally recognized leader in advanced driving training, opened the school in 1968.
Bondurant SuperKart School
, located on the facility, offers two karting tracks with state-of-the-art equipment and training.
Bondurant Trackside
is the premier leader in OEM events, showcasing manufacturer's vehicles. For more information or to book an event, call 800.842.RACE (7223) or visit
www.bondurant.com
. Write to Bondurant at P.O. Box 51980, Phoenix, AZ 85076.